evaluating of knowledge, attitude, and practice of medical students about cutaneous leishmaniasis in gorgan, 2021–2022

Background: as medical students are the future doctors and healthcare providers of the country, it is essential to evalu­ate their awareness, attitude, and practice about leishmaniasis. therefore, we have decided to assess the knowledge, attitude, and practice of medical students in the clinical phase about cutaneous leishmaniasis (cl).methods: this descriptive-analytical study was performed on 318 clinical students, including those in physiopathology, extern-1, extern-2, and internship phases at golestan university of medical sciences. a questionnaire was designed, containing 28 questions divided into four sections: demographic, knowledge, attitude, and practice. data were analyzed using the spearman correlation coefficient and chi-square tests.results: 318 individuals participated in the study, of which 193 (60.6%) individuals were female, and 125 (39.4%) indi­viduals were male. 70 physiopathology students (100%), 72 extern-1 students (93.5%), 73 extern-2 students (92.4%), and 88 internship students (100%) had a good level of awareness. among physiopathology students, 42 individuals (60%), 58 extern-1 students, (75.3%), 71 extern-2 students, (85.5%), and 88 (100%) internship individuals had a good attitude. the results of this research showed that 19 (27.1%) physiopathology students, 49 (63.6%) extern-1 students, 27 (32.5%) extern-2 students, and 42 (47.7%) interns had a good level of practice. conclusion: as future healthcare providers, medical students must possess a high level of knowledge, a positive atti­tude, and strong practice skills in managing conditions such as cl. given the prevalence of this disease in the country, organ­izing targeted educational programs for medical students can significantly enhance their knowledge and abilities.